How Do You Stretch Your Lower Back Muscles

Supine Abdominal Draw In Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

Kneel on the floor in an all-fours position on your hands and knees.

Bench Hip Flexor Stretch

Tip

This stretch focuses on both your hip flexors and quads, and you should feel it from your hips all the way down to your knee.

How To Do The Cobra To Downward Dog Stretch:

Moving to the Downward Dog:

Recommended Reading: Aleve Or Advil For Back Pain

Ques : How Do You Tell If Lower Back Pain Is Muscle Or Disc

Ans: The basic difference to locate whether your lower back pain is related to muscle or disc is that if it hurts both while bending forward and returning to the upright position, then it is disc pain.

Whereas, if it hurts more while returning to the upright position as compared to forward bending, then its muscle pain.

Other symptoms of disc pain are:

• Increased back pain with prolonged sitting and frequent bending.
• Increased back pain because of coughing, sneezing, and even laughing.
• Numbness or pin-needles like pain radiating into the affected area.

Is It Okay To Do Yoga With Lower Back Pain

If you have any history of lower back injuries, problems with your discs, or experience pain that lasts more than 72 hours without improving, Dr. Cyrelson suggests seeing a physical therapist before doing any exercises. If you have an issue that requires medical attention, it’s best to address it before it becomes worse.

If your lower back pain is more of a general achiness or discomfort, though, it’s worth trying some yoga stretches to address any tightness and alignment issues. Stretches like childs pose and downward dog are particularly good because they provide a sense of relief, not just in the lower back but also throughout all your back musclesalleviating any tight spots.

Also Check: Advil For Back Pain Dosage

> > > How To Gain Full Flexibility Pelvic Health And Alpha Strength In 2

Increased Energy Stretching regularly helps to improve circulation in the muscles, supplying them with needed nutrition and removing harmful waste products.

Focus Depending on the method you use to increase your flexibility, stretching can be a very meditative activity. Stretching, when combined with deep, controlled breathing, helps to relax the body and can be used to relax the mind as well.

Stress Relief Stiff necks, sore back, hunched shoulders and headaches are all manifestations of stress. Stretching these problem areas help to bring about an overall reduction in stress levels. Stretching Exercises for Lower Back Pain

The benefits of stretching for the average person are great. However, if you are a martial artist who wants to reach peak performance, regular stretching is essential.

Methods of Stretching

How Do You Loosen Your Back Muscles

Bruce Lee understood a lot about the trade-off between strength and flexibility when it came to power. His be like water credo for Jeet Kune Do expressed this understanding well.

If you are too rigid, you are bound to suffer breaks. If you are too loose, you wont be able to stand. Your back muscles need to support your back by maintaining a balance between rigidity and flexibility.

The following stretches aim to relieve ongoing pain and shore up your resources to prevent future pain. They also work to improve mobility, making it easier to move and less likely that a sudden shock will lead to injury.

You May Like: Back Pain Cleveland Clinic

Fixing Your Low Back Pain

There is a very high probability that instead of stretching out your back like the top image here, you actually need to extend the back-like in the picture to the right.

This will relieve the tension on the muscles, ligaments and discs that are most likely causing your pain.

The easiest way to fix your flexion intolerant low back pain-the right way-is to put your back into extension by laying on your stomach and prop your head up on your two fists, or hold a low cobra hold . Hold that for a couple minutes and youll feel better and that feeling will last much longer and will start you on your path to a happier back.

If you want a little more challenge and want to strengthen your back-read here for a simple and effective exercise to try anywhere.

How Do You Stretch Out Your Lower Back

Regularly stretching the back muscles and other supporting structures of the spine help relieve stiffness. It reduces tension in the back muscles, improves the range of motion, and helps spine mobility.

The following tips should be kept in mind while stretching:

• Always wear loose and comfortable clothing.
• Stretching should always be pain-free. If exercises give you pain, stop immediately.
• Stretch slowly and gently to avoid muscle strain.
• Stretches must be held for at least 15-30 seconds to be effective.
• Repeat a stretch at least five times for maximum effect.
• Stretch one side of the body at a time.
• Always warm up before exercises. Gentle bending, rotation movements at the joints, and a five-minute walk help the body prepare for the exercise.

Read Also: How Much Advil Can I Take For Back Pain

When Should You Stretch Your Glutes

You can do glute stretches after a dynamic warmup, before you exercise. This may help get the blood flowing to these muscles and prepare them for movement and activity.

Its also important to stretch your glutes after you work out. This can help boost your flexibility, prevent stiffness, and improve your performance the next time you work out.

You can also stretch your glutes if they feel tight during prolonged periods of sitting, like when you watch a bunch of episodes of your favorite show or when youre stuck at your desk for hours.

Its safe to do glute stretches while seated in a chair. This is especially helpful if you:

• sit at a desk most of the day
• are on a long flight or car trip
• find it uncomfortable to sit on the floor

Here are 7 stretches that can help relieve tension in your glutes, as well as in surrounding areas like your back, legs, hips, and pelvis.

Plantarflexion And Ankle Dorsiflexion

These exercises require the use of an elastic stretch band that provides comfortable resistance.

Each stretch can help strengthen the calf muscles, providing better support for the lower leg, foot, and ankle. Strengthening these muscles can also help prevent injuries.

Dorsiflexion stretch

Step 1: Sit on the floor with legs straight out in front.

Step 2: Anchor the elastic band tightly around a stable piece of furniture, such as a heavy chair or table. Wrap the opposite end of the band around the foot.

Step 3: Pull the toes toward the body, then slowly return them to the starting position.

Step 4: Repeat the movement 10 times, then change to the opposite side.

Plantarflexion stretch

Step 1: Sit on the floor with the legs straight out in front.

Step 2: Wrap one end of the elastic band around one foot, and hold the opposite end.

Step 3: Gently point the toes forward, then slowly return to the starting position.

Step 4: Repeat this movement 10 times, then change to the opposite side.

Tips

Make sure the elastic band is providing comfortable resistance to the movements. If it is not, sit farther from the piece of furniture or pull harder on the band.

Read Also: Aleve For Lower Back Pain

Lower Trunk Rotation Stretch

• While on the floor, bend your knees with feet flat.
• Engage your abdominals to support your spine.
• With arms outstretched and knees together, slowly rotate knees to one side and hold. Rotate to the other side.
• Repeat 5-10 times.

This stretch helps to strengthen core abdominal muscles while also increasing lumbar spine mobility, rotation, and flexibility. Since trunk rotation is used frequently in daily life, especially during sports or workouts, its important to perform stretches to aid in the strength, mobility, and function of these muscles.

> > > How To Achieve Full Splits And Quickly Boost Your Performance

So, to increase overall flexibility, static stretching or PNF stretching are the most effective methods. However, due to their limited nature, it may be a good idea to add dynamic stretching in order to increase flexibility for those specific techniques that we use in our martial arts.Stretching Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Very few martial arts classes devote enough time to stretching. Also, most classes begin with a light stretching routine, followed by warm up/basics and then the main body of the class. Unfortunately, this is incorrect on a couple of levels. First off, stretching cold muscles gives very little benefit and actually can significantly increase the risk of injury. It is always recommended to first warm up by performing some light, simple exercises prior to stretching. Additionally, stretching for flexibility should usually occur after the cardio or strength portion of a workout. At any rate, if your goal is to increase flexibility, you are probably going to have to begin a personal stretching routine.

When creating a comprehensive stretching routine, it is important to make sure that all parts of the body are covered.

What muscles should you stretch?

Neck Shoulders

Neck Rotations 8-12 rotations each direction

Shoulder Stretch 20-30 seconds, 2-3 reps

Wrist Flex 8-10 times, each direction

Finger Stretches 10-12 times

Standing Quad Stretch 20-30 seconds, 2-4 reps

Calf Stretch 20-30 seconds, 2-4 reps

Foot/Toe Stretches 20-30 seconds, 2-4 reps

Also Check: Aleve Or Ibuprofen For Back Pain

> > > Why Static Stretching Is Not The Answer Click Here< <

These exercises will provide a good complete-body stretch and should take approximately 15-20 minutes to perform. Keep in mind that it may be necessary to supplement or add additional exercises in order to stretch specific muscles used in various martial arts techniques. The book Ultimate Flexibility: A Complete Guide to Stretching for Martial Arts is a great resource that covers almost 200 flexibility exercises and much more. It also has a number of stretching routines for various types of training .

Final Stretching Tips

If you are stretching to increase flexibility , make goals!

Consider making a training record to track your goals and progress.

If it hurts, Stop! Stretching should be uncomfortable, but not painful.

Do a light warm-up before stretching and begin stretching with large muscles/groups first

If you are going to do a strength or cardio workout, save your stretching until after.

Ensure that you are stretching all areas of the body

Do This and Gain Full Muscle Elasticity & Pelvic Floor Strength In Just Days Like 120,368 People Did.

Stretch joints/muscles in every direction they move

Stretch often! Moderate stretching can be done every day but save the intense stretches for every other day.

Focus on relaxing into the stretch for a better and more effective routine.

If you are injured, back off on that part of the body. Light stretching can help to maintain flexibility, but dont make it worse.

How Can I Loosen My Lower Back And Hips

If you are experiencing tightness in your lower back, we have some ways that you can help loosen the muscles in your lower back and hips.

First, bend your right knee up and cross it over the left side of your body. Keep this position held for 20 seconds.

You should be able to feel this stretch in your back and buttocks. Tighten your core muscles and rotate back to the center. You should repeat three times on each side.

Also, if you still need the pain relieved, some of the best massage chairs can help with this. The massage chairs can pinpoint one area or many areas of your body.

These massage chairs may fix you right up if you have bad neck pain. Massage chairs vary in price, depending on the brand and what areas you want to target.

Also Check: Advil For Lower Back Pain

How Can You Improve Fitness And Stability In The Spine

The way to improve and maintain spinal stability is to exercise the spine’s major stabilizing muscles:

• Back extensors.
• Abdominal muscles .
• Abdominal muscles .

Exercise all these muscles in a special way – by “sparing the back” which means to perform all exercises with the spine in a line with no additional load.

Best Lower Back Stretches

Stretching the muscles in your lower back can help improve flexibility and prevent lower back pain. And some research suggests that all you need to see an improvement is to stretch for 15 minutes each day.

“Stretches reduce muscle tension and promote muscle elasticity to improve joint range of motion and flexibility,” says Matsuno. “Increasing spinal joint mobility and flexibility will allow for our spine to bend when necessary, like a gymnast tumbling or a person rolling to cushion a fall.”

Here are five stretches that can prevent and alleviate lower back pain:

Don’t Miss: Tylenol Or Aleve For Back Pain

Stretches For Low Back Pain

• Back Flexion Stretch. Lying on the back, pull both knees to the chest while simultaneously flexing the head forward until a comfortable stretch is felt across the mid and low back.
• Knee to Chest Stretch. Lie on the back with the knees bent and both heels on the floor, then place both hands behind one knee and pull it toward the chest, stretching the gluteus and piriformis muscles in the buttock.
• Kneeling Lunge Stretch. Starting on both knees, move one leg forward so the foot is flat on the ground, keeping weight evenly distributed through both hips . Place both hands on the top of the thigh, and gently lean the body forward to feel a stretch in the front of the other leg. This stretch affects the hip flexor muscles, which attach to the pelvis and can impact posture if too tight.
• Piriformis Muscle Stretch. Lie on the back with knees bent and both heels on the floor. Cross one leg over the other, resting the ankle on the bent knee, then gently pull the bottom knee toward the chest until a stretch is felt in the buttock. Or, lying on the floor, cross one leg over the other and pull it forward over the body at the knee, keeping the other leg flat.

Ques : How Do You Sleep With A Tight Lower Back

Ans: Sleeping positions have a major role to play in your lower back stiffness. It can create as well as cure the pain.

The three best sleeping positions with a tight lower back are:

• Stomach sleeping
• Back sleeping with pillows placed under the knees.
• Side sleeping with pillows placed between the legs.

Also Check: Ibuprofen For Back Pain Dosage

What Causes Your Lower Back To Lock Up

Lower back pain and spasms are debilitating. These pains come and go whenever they want. Sometimes there is no reason why your lower back hurts.

If you have lower back pain, you may have had a trauma in your life that caused a back injury. Even pulling a muscle can cause lower back pain.

Also, obesity, posture, lifestyle, and heavy lifting can cause lower back pain.

When your lower back locks up, this may be caused by a lumbar strain or lumbar spine osteoarthritis. This could be from an injury as well.

If you have lower back pains or spasms, you can do some great stretches to ease your pain.

How Goodpath Can Help

A back strain can be a painful and frustrating situation. These movements are designed to lessen your discomfort from the injuries.

In addition to these exercises, there are other solutions that can help ease your back pain.

Take Goodpaths personalized assessment today. After analyzing your answers, we will build you a personalized treatment plan based on your medical history, your symptoms, and your lifestyle.

Also Check: Is Motrin Good For Back Pain

Stretching Exercises For Lower Back Pain

Static Stretching Static stretching is the process of lengthening the target muscle or group of muscles and then holding it as the muscle relaxes. This is the safest method of stretching and is recommended for those who are just beginning a stretching routine or are recovering from an injury. While performing static stretching, stretches should be held for at least 20 seconds in order for the muscle to relax.

Passive Stretching Passive stretching is very similar to static stretching except that, instead of you making the effort to stretch, a partner or other device provides the stretch for you. While commonly used for rehabilitation, stretching with a partner does provide an increased level of risk since the partner can not feel the level of stretch they are pushing you to. Always communicate any uncomfortable sensation with your partner and do not allow them to push you to the point of pain.

Active Stretching Active stretching is performed without any aid. An example of active stretching would be to slowly raise your leg into the final position of a roundhouse kick. This helps to develop flexibility in motion while at the same time targeting the specific muscles utilized in the technique. Assisted active stretching provide greater gains by having a partner or other aid help you stretch farther once you have reached your max without assistance.

Which Stretching Method is Right for You? Stretching Exercises for Lower Back Pain